Cockatiel diet is often neglected with ornamental birds. Oftentimes, cockatiel breeders assume they are feeding their parrots an appropriate diet, when in fact they are not, which can lead to many health problems.
Therefore, you should constantly strive to improve your cockatiel diet by constantly educating yourself about proper nutrition for it. you don’t have to search much, as we have provided you with a comprehensive guide on the balanced and healthy diet of your cockatiel parrot and how to feed it. You will also find in our store all the useful, high-quality foods that you can use.
What is the healthiest food for cockatiels?
Cockatiels are susceptible to vitamin A deficiency, insufficient dietary calcium, and other nutrition-related problems. Therefore, the cockatiel diet and diet must be balanced and varied at all times so that these birds remain healthy.
Cockatiel seed
Wild cockatiels feed on different types of seeds. Commercial seed mixes generally contain 4 to 10 different types of seeds and nuts. However, these mixtures tend to be high in fat and carbohydrates and provide a limited or unbalanced source of many nutrients if relied upon as your birds’ sole food. This can ultimately lead to ill health and possibly a shortened lifespan. A cockatiel will often selectively eat one or two of its favorite seed types.
Cockatiels usually offer millet seeds or millet bunches, but these seeds are deficient in many nutrients and should not be relied upon primarily either. Thus, the seeds are highly palatable and preferred by cockatiels, but nutritionally incomplete and lacking in vitamins, minerals, and proteins. So seeds should be a very small part of a balanced diet, but not the entire diet.
Fruit and vegetables for cockatiels
The proportion of fruits and vegetables should not exceed 20% to 25% of the daily diet. But you should know that pale greens with a high water composition such as lettuce and celery offer very little nutritional value. Avocados are also potentially toxic and should never be fed to birds.
Fruits and vegetables should be washed well to remove chemicals and should be cut into small pieces appropriate to the size of the bird, and it is not necessary to remove the peel of the fruits. Serve fruits and vegetables on separate plates.
If your cockatiel seems to develop a particular craving for just one fruit or vegetable, reduce its size or stop feeding it temporarily to encourage the consumption of other foods. Fruits and vegetables should also be left in the cage for no more than two hours, especially in warm climates, otherwise, they may spoil.
SOURCE: African Grey Parrot Pet
What pellets can cockatiels eat?
The recommended diet for a cockatiel is food made from bird pellets. There are many brands of pellets available in different shapes, sizes, and colors, Pellets were developed to meet all of your bird’s nutritional needs. Breeding cockatiels should be started on a pellet-based diet.
As for adult cockatiels, it may be difficult to convert them to pellets, but different formulations are available for different life stages. Pellets are the ideal diet. Therefore, seed-eating birds should be slowly weaned off seeds onto a pellet diet. Therefore pellets should ideally represent approximately 75% to 80% of a cockatiel diet.
What human food can a cockatiel eat?
As a general rule, any healthy, nutritious food that you and your family eat can be a cockatiel’s natural choice, but in very small amounts (a teaspoon for a cockatiel is the equivalent of a person’s dinner plate, which is fine). Follow the general guidelines we mentioned above regarding fruits and vegetables.
Some cockatiels also sometimes enjoy small amounts of cooked lean meat, fish, cooked eggs, or very small amounts of cheese. However, dairy products should be consumed in moderation, as your birds are lactose intolerant. You should also avoid highly salty foods, such as cornflakes, pretzels, popcorn, chocolate, and products that contain caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and soda.
How do I get my cockatiel to eat pellets?
Some cockatiels are more difficult than others to transition to pellets or pellets. Switching seed-eating birds to a pellet-formulated diet is not always easy, especially for adult cockatiels. At first, birds may not recognize the pellets as food. The pellets should be served straight alone, not mixed with seeds, otherwise the cockatiel will pick the seeds out. Pellets should be offered first thing in the morning before any other food when the bird is very hungry.
Also, since cockatiels eat from the ground in the wild, you can imitate this behavior by spreading pellets on a flat surface and encouraging the birds to walk across them. You can also grind the granules into a fine powder that you can sprinkle on a very small amount of any wet food, such as vegetables, fruits, cooked eggs, and any food your bird likes to eat. If your bird is eating pellet-coated food, you can gradually grind it up into larger pieces, mixing in smaller amounts of wet food over time, eventually offering almost all of the pellets with minimal amounts of wet food mixed in.
It may take days, weeks, or months to adjust your cockatiel diet. If your bird is slow to eat pellets, you can offer a small amount of seeds or fruits and vegetables later in the day. Also, you should completely remove seeds from your cockatiel diet only when you are sure that he is eating pellets, as well as some fruits and vegetables.
